Butterflies

Hello....I had a sleepless night for some reason

and laid in bed thinking how fast summer is flying by!

Dang, we are almost half way through July

and will be into August soon and our Septembers here in Michigan

can go any way...hot to rainy and cold...

time sure does go by quickly doesn't it?

Today's card is a bright and shimmery/metallic one.

I love the color combo, too, not one I would normally use.

Unfortunately the camera distorts the actual color and beauty of this one.

Wouldn't it be great is there was a camera, just for the purpose of catching

all the sparkle and glitter in our cards?

I used the Tutti Designs Swirly Butterfly Circles for this one.

I cut an extra butterfly and popped it up for a bit of dimension!

The butterflies were cut from a purple metallic paper as well as the

underneath paper.  The blue is a metallic paper called

Starburst Lichen Aspire Petallic....whew quite a name, but oh so pretty!

The sentiment is from Hero Arts 'Birthday Mess'.

I stamped it then used a circle punch.

I wish you could see this IRL as it is so much prettier without all that 'glare' on it!

Entering the following challenges:

Cardz 4 Gals .... Butterflies

Happy Birthday

Boy oh boy am I having a hard time getting back into

things after being gone for 10 days.

Funny thing is too, that I took a bunch of stamps

and all my different water colors, paper and all the other supplies I needed

to work on while hubby was engrossed in the TV (I am not a TV watcher)

and never even used any of it..sigh....I still have it ALL to put away.

Any who, I have 

A fun birthday card using a Tutti Designs Elegant Love Bird die.

Pretty simple card really, just by letting the die take center stage.

A few scraps if paper were used along with a few glitter dots

and a stamped sentiment.

What you can't see is that the bird is cut from a white metallic paper

so he has a neat sheen on him!

Entering the following challenges:

Watercooler Wednesdays ....All About Birthdays

Where In The World

Our new challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters is a fun one being hosted

by yours truly.

I thought it would be fun to have a theme of

'Where In The World'

meaning to make a project that relates to your part of the world.

Goodness, there were so many ways I could of gone with this theme

but I decided to just focus on my state of MICHIGAN!

I used a Cherry Blossom EB folder for the backgrounds as that is our state flower.

I die cut a few Tutti Design Banners and stamped with Versamark

on the smallest of the 3,

then added a denim embossing powder that had glitter in it.

to finish I simply tied a twine bow for a pop of color!

Make sure and visit at The Sisterhood to see

all the interesting creations the DT did!

I have some fun facts below if interested, I think # 8 is actually quite comical

One fact my hubby just read is that Michigan has 12,000 black bear,

with 10,000 residing in the UP (upper peninsula)

and 2000 in the lower half....YIKES!!

Entering the following challenges:
Always Fun Challenges ....ATG
Cards In Envy .... Red~White~Blue
Pink and Main .... Red~White~Blue

50 fun facts and trivia about Michigan

Michigan Facts and Trivia

1. Detroit is known as the car capital of the world.
2. Alpena is the home of the world's largest cement plant.
3. Rogers City boasts the world's largest limestone quarry.
4. Elsie is the home of the world's largest registered Holstein dairy herd.
5. Michigan is first in the United States production of peat and magnesium compounds and second in gypsum and iron ore.
6. Colon is home to the world's largest manufacture of magic supplies.
7. The state Capitol with its majestic dome was built in Lansing in l879.
8. Although Michigan is often called the "Wolverine State" there are no longer any wolverines in Michigan.
9. Michigan ranks first in state boat registrations.
10. The Packard Motor Car Company in Detroit manufactured the first air-conditioned car in 1939.
11. The oldest county (based on date of incorporation) is Wayne in 1815.
12. Sault Ste. Marie was founded by Father Jacques Marquette in 1668. It is the third oldest remaining settlement in the United States.
13. In 1817 the University of Michigan was the first university established by any of the states. Originally named Cathelepistemian and located in Detroit the name was changed in 1821. The university moved to Ann Arbor in 1841.
14. The city of Novi was named from its designation as Stagecoach Stop # 6 or No.VI.
15. Michigan State University has the largest single campus student body of any Michigan university. It is the largest institution of higher learning in the state and one of the largest universities in the country.
16. Michigan State University was founded in 1855 as the nation's first land-grant university and served as the prototype for 69 land-grant institutions later established under the Morrill Act of 1862. It was the first institution of higher learning in the nation to teach scientific agriculture.
17. The largest village in Michigan is Caro.
18. Michigan's state stone, The Petoskey is the official state stone. It is found along the shores of Lake Michigan.
19. The Mackinac Bridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world. Connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan, it spans 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac, which is where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. The Mighty Mac took 3 years to complete and was opened to traffic in 1957.
20. Gerald R. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids and became the 38th president of the United States He attended the University of Michigan where he was a football star. He served on a World War II aircraft carrier and afterward represented Michigan in Congress for 24 years. He was also was an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.
21. The Kellogg Company has made Battle Creek the Cereal Capital of the World. The Kellogg brothers accidentally discovered the process for producing flaked cereal products and sparked the beginning of the dry cereal industry.
22. The painted turtle is Michigan's state reptile.
23. The western shore of Michigan has many sand dunes. The Sleeping Bear Dunes rise 460 feet above Lake Michigan. Living among the dunes is the dwarf lake iris the official state wildflower.
24. Vernors ginger ale was created in Detroit and became the first soda pop made in the United States. In 1862, pharmacist James Vernor was trying to create a new beverage when he was called away to serve our country in the Civil War. When he returned, 4 years later, the drink he had stored in an oak case had acquired a delicious gingery flavor.
25. The Detroit Zoo was the first zoo in America to feature cageless, open-exhibits that allowed the animals more freedom to roam.
26. Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office. The J.W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway. They have been operating for 125 years.
27. Indian River is the home of the largest crucifix in the world. It is called the Cross in the Woods.
28. Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
29. Michigan has more shoreline than any other state except Alaska.
30. The Ambassador Bridge was named by Joseph Bower, the person credited with making the bridge a reality, who thought the name "Detroit-Windsor International Bridge" as too long and lacked emotional appeal. Bower wanted to "symbolize the visible expression of friendship of two peoples with like ideas and ideals."
31. Michigan has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of streams.
32. Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.
33. Seul Choix Point Lighthouse in Gulliver has been guiding ships since 1895. The working light also functions as a museum, which houses early 1900s furnishings and maritime artifacts.
34. Forty of the state's 83 counties adjoin at least one of the Great Lakes. Michigan is the only state that touches four of the five Great Lakes.
35. Standing anywhere in the state a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes.
36. Michigan includes 56,954 square miles of land area; 1,194 square miles of inland waters; and 38,575 square miles of Great Lakes water area.
37. Sault Ste. Marie was established in 1668 making it the oldest town between the Alleghenies and the Rockies.
38. Michigan was the first state to provide in its Constitution for the establishment of public libraries.
39. Michigan was the first state to guarantee every child the right to tax-paid high school education.
40. Four flags have flown over Michigan - French, English, Spanish and United States.
41. Isle Royal Park shelters one of the largest moose herds remaining in the United States.
42. Some of the longest bulk freight carriers in the world operate on the Great Lakes. Ore carriers 1,000 feet long sail Michigan's inland seas.
43. The Upper Michigan Copper Country is the largest commercial deposit of native copper in the world.
44. The 19 chandeliers in the Capitol in Lansing are one of a kind and designed especially for the building by Tiffany's of New York. Weighing between 800-900 pounds apiece they are composed of copper, iron and pewter.
45. The first auto traffic tunnel built between two nations was the mile-long Detroit-Windsor tunnel under the Detroit River.
46. The world's first international submarine railway tunnel was opened between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada in 1891.
47. The nation's first regularly scheduled air passage service began operation between Grand Rapids and Detroit in 1926.
48. In 1879 Detroit telephone customers were first in the nation to be assigned phone numbers to facilitate handling calls.
49. In 1929, the Michigan State Police established the first state police radio system in the world.
50. Grand Rapids is home to the 24-foot Leonardo da Vinci horse, called Il Gavallo, it is the largest equestrian bronze sculpture in the Western Hemisphere.

Wedding Day

I'm BACK...lol!!

We stayed one day longer then planned so I have been gone 10 whole days!!

We had a fabulous time and beautiful weather.

It's good to be home

but now I have TONS of catching up to do....

visiting all your blogs to see what I have missed,

lots of DT work and commenting to make

and not sure where to even start!

I have a wedding card today,

using a Tutti Designs Wedding Bells die.

The bells were cut from a white metallic paper.

I added peach pearls and a pretty ribbon bow.

The background is embossed with a 'dots' folder.

That's it....I need to get myself in gear and get things done

before my next 'jaunt' which is coming up soon.

Entering the following challenges:

Simply Create Too .... Wedding
Moving Along With The Times .... Wedding/Anniversary/Engagement

Celebration At Fussy and Fancy

Time for a new challenge at Fussy and Fancy.
Our theme for the next 2 weeks is
Celebrations!

My card started with a base of already embossed panels
from David Tutera purchased at Joann's Fabrics.
Not only are the panels embossed, but it has the circle cutout at the top.

I stamped a sentiment from SU Occasional Quotes within the circle.

I die cut the ring around the outside edge by using

two different dies, one inside the other to give me the pretty edge you see.

I bought a new die set of tiny butterflies a month or so back

and cut two from a shimmery paper 'Lichen Aspire Petallic'.

Roses and leaves were added to finish.

The Fussy and Fancy girls would love to have you join us,
even though our name is fussy and fancy,
your cards don't have to be to join in!

Entering the following challenges:
Creative With Stamps .... #16 Celebrate (m)
Daisy Chain .... Floral

Flower Pop Up Card

I have a really cute  Flower Pop Up card to show you today

made with the cutest cut file from

The Cutting Cafe.

Just by visiting TCC BLOG on the 7th you can see all the creations 

the design team has put together in one place...

so very convenient for you, 

plus the fact just by leaving a comment there,

you could win 3 cut files of your own choice!

This is the front of the card.

It ties closed on the side.

Then when you untie it,

this is what is revealed inside!!

Seven flowers 'pop up' to greet you!!

The picture above shows the card laying flat.

The picture below shows the card on it's side.

What a fun card for someone to receive with this pretty surprise inside!

Want to make one of your own?
Even if you don't have a cutting machine, there is a PDF file
included in the cut file, and this one would be pretty easy to cut by hand!

Entering the following challenges:
Craft Rocket .... ATG (m)
Craft-Dee Bowz ....ATG with a Bow (m)
Crafty Hazelnuts Patterned Paper Challenge (m)

Pastel Party

Today we have a new challenge up on the

Double D Challenge blog

and a gorgeous mood board and theme

called "Pastel Party"

I love the soft, dreamy and airy look of this mood board!

For my card I used the flowers to inspire me...
I stenciled a bit of Distress Inks first.
then die cut my flowers in soft pastel colors.

Funny story about the pastel colors,
I didn't think I had any papers in those soft colors,
so ran to our local home store and picked up a few
paint swatches (cards) and used those,
and once I was home I remembered I had a pad of pastel
papers I had bought a few years ago to make flowers with....
I located it and it has 50 pastel card stock sheets in that pad...lol...
could of saved me a bunch of time and a trip to town...geez!!

I first had the flowers stacked flat (which I really, really liked,
but in the end I popped up each one giving it somewhat of a 3d look
as they look on the mood board.

Pop on over to the Double D Challenge and see what the
Design Team has to inspire you...they are the  best, I'm tell'in you!!
Join in with us while there, we would love to have you!!

Entering the following challenges:
Crafting With An Attitude ....ATG (m)
Dragonfly Dreams .... ATG (m)

Products Used:

Dies:  Sue Wilson Stitched Doodle Flowers

Inks:  Distress Squeezed Lemonade, Shabby Shutters,

SU Pool Party

Stamp:  Flourishes Winter Blossoms

Stencil"  Memory Box Texture Mesh